Overview

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. Mayo Clinic's campuses in Florida and Minnesota offer a unique practice, the Women's Heart Clinic, to treat and prevent heart disease while addressing the distinct concerns of women. Staff evaluates and treats women's heart disease at Mayo Clinic's campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.

Services offered

Your visit to the Women's Heart Clinic may include:

A comprehensive cardiac diagnostic evaluation. Doctors trained in heart disease (cardiologists) review your medical history and risk assessment report, conduct an initial cardiac exam, and order diagnostic tests. They consult with other specialists to develop the most appropriate treatment plan for you. At Mayo Clinic, an integrated team of doctors and other health care professionals from many areas are often involved in your care.

A risk assessment. You'll complete a Mayo-developed questionnaire prior to your appointment to pinpoint individual risk factors for heart disease and other diseases common to women. The risk assessment reports become the basis of your heart disease prevention and treatment plan.

Discussion about managing risk of heart disease. The established risk factors for heart disease are the same for men and women, but there are differences in how strongly they affect women. The health care team in the Women's Heart Clinic understands these differences in risk factors and helps you and your primary doctors at home to optimally manage your heart disease risks.

Education. A health care professional will guide you in making healthy lifestyle changes to help prevent or slow the progression of heart disease. Depending on your unique needs, staff may recommend high blood pressure and high cholesterol management strategies, a personalized exercise prescription, a healthy-eating plan, advice about how to quit smoking, and stress management techniques.

Hormone therapy discussion. Postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) isn't currently recommended to prevent or treat heart disease. However, many women with heart disease or heart disease risks have menopausal symptoms or concerns about the use of hormone therapy for other problems and its effect on the heart.

Hormone therapy continues to be researched. Staff will help you make careful decisions about this therapy based on your symptoms and the latest scientific information. The Women's Heart Clinic works closely with the Women's Health Clinic at Mayo Clinic's campus in Minnesota to provide this service.

Coordinated care

In the Women's Heart Clinic, you'll have full access to Mayo Clinic's diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical services for heart disease and other conditions that may be discovered. Doctors will coordinate your care with staff in several other areas as needed, including:

Research

Doctors in the Women's Heart Clinic are active in research in many areas, including women's heart disease prevention, noninvasive testing to evaluate heart disease risk and optimal treatments for many common heart conditions occurring in women.

Appointments

You may be referred to the Women's Heart Clinic by your primary doctor, or you may request an appointment without a referral.

For appointments or more information about the Women's Heart Clinic at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida, call the Central Appointment Office at 904-953-0853 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, or complete an online appointment request form.

For appointments or more information about the Women's Heart Clinic at Mayo Clinic's campus in Minnesota, call the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at 507-284-3994 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time, Monday through Friday, or complete an online appointment request form.

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